The Fichtelberg railway (German: Fichtelbergbahn) is a narrow-gauge railway that leads from the standard-gauge international line at Cranzahl to the ski resort of Oberwiesenthal in the Erzgebirge mountains in eastern Germany. It takes its name from the Fichtel Mountain near Oberwiesenthal. History After the railway from Chemnitz to Chomutov via Annaberg and Vejprty was opened in 1872 (consisting of Chemnitz–Flöha, Flöha–Annaberg, Annaberg–Vejprty and Vejprty–Chomutov sections), plans were made to also connect the former mining town of Oberwiesenthal to the Saxon Railway system. The requirements and qualifications to build a narrow gauge railway from Cranzahl were met by 1884, but it wasn't until April 6, 1896, that construction started. The railway opening took place on July 20, 1897. By the end of that year, 67,756 passengers (and 57 dogs) had already traveled on the new railway. Passenger count increased in the following years, and tourism played an increasing role in the passenger count. Freight traffic also increased significantly. Until 1906, freight had to be transloaded in Cranzahl; since then transporter wagons made the extra cargo handling unnecessary. The biggest cargo customer – even until the mid-1990s – was the quarry in Hammerunterwiesenthal, requiring around 30 freight cars daily. After 1990 the railway lost its status as the most important carrier into Oberwiesenthal (which is the highest town in (Germany)), and in 1992 freight service was terminated. After 1994, the Deutsche Bahn became the new owner, and planned to either dismantle the railway, or sell it. For the 100-year anniversary, the communities along the track, together with the operators of the Pressnitz Valley Railway and the Lößnitzgrund Railway organized a festival week that drew 40,000 visitors. With different rolling stock of narrow gauge railways from all over Germany; a train schedule of extra and regularly scheduled trains meant that there was a train on the track almost every hour. Fun fairs along the track and historic trains ensured the success of the event. New thinking started after the success of the event, and the district of Annaberg prepared to acquire the railway. On June 1, 1998, the operator BVO Bahn GmbH, since 2007 Saxon Steam Railway Company took over operations from the Deutsche Bahn, and renamed the railway to the catchier Fichtelbergbahn. The new operator aligned operations with the tourism in the surrounding area, and within relative short time achieved country-wide recognition. Especially during the winter months the railway now has similar